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I can’t help myself. When I see a dog coming, I have to stop and say hello. Especially when I’m away from my own dog. Then I usually have to stop and pet the dog. Talk to it. Be its new best friend.
I was travelling in Canada last week. Canada LOVES dogs! They were everywhere! In shops. In restaurants. On ferries. In hotels. Water bowls outside store windows. I wish I could travel with mine. But she’s a 95-lb Bernese Mountain dog — and I don’t own a private jet.
I also love pantoums.
I love the echo and repetition. I love the subtlety of the repeated lines, how they gain new meaning from one stanza to the next. They’re not always easy to create. But last October, Irish poet and theologian Padraig ǑTuama offered a pantoum prompt with instructions (see bottom of this post) that –for me – opened the flood gate.
I wrote this poem last year and returned to it this week, after being on vacation, away from my dog.
I love coming home to her—and am ever-grateful for the trusted friends who care for her when I’m gone.
Bonny
you were bound for Alaskan life, but the sale fell through
safety-space inside your crate, but your home is at my hip
strangers gasp – your beauty stops them in their tracks
secretly, we each believe we received the greater gift
you become my safety-space, your home is at my hip
unselfishly, accept a role –I didn’t know if you could fill
secretly, we each believe we received the greater gift
to the world, a 95-pound reservoir of delight
unselfishly, you fill a hole –I didn’t know I had the will
morning forests wait for us, my nightly couch companion
my world, a 95-pound reservoir of delight
promise me…please-don’t-leave-me; will you live to be?
morning forests wait for us, my nightly couch companion
strangers gasp – your beauty stops them in their tracks
promise me: live to be the old dog that I need
you were bound for Alaskan life, thank god the sale fell through
draft, Patricia J. Franz
photos ©Patricia J. Franz
Instructions for creating a pantoum–
The answer to each question below forms one line in your poem.
- Where you got the item
- Where you keep it
- What others say about it
- A secret only it knows
- A description of it
- How others see it
- A particular time you reached for it
- What it means to you
Try to make each line of roughly equal length, and certainly each line should be no wider than a page. Then arrange the 8 lines in the following order (each line is repeated, so this will turn into a 16-line poem).
1-
2-
3-
4-
2-
5-
4-
6-
5-
7-
6-
8-
7-
3-
8-
1-
Patricia Franz writes picture books and poetry. She believes children, dogs, and sourdough have a lot to teach us about life, joy, and wonder. She has raised two boys, four dogs, and holds a master’s degree in Theology with a focus on children’s spirituality. Patricia, her husband, her Bernese Mountain dog, Bonny, and her sourdough starter split their time between the Arizona desert and the Sierra Nevada mountains. 
Hi Patrcia, I love your pantoum, especially the emotion. I also love that your poem shows the reader about the loving relationship Bonny and you share! Is she full grown, now? She is beautiful! When I have seen Bernese Mountain dogs around here, they look bigger than Bonny but maybe they don’t exercise as much as she does. I live about ten minutes from Saratoga Springs, which is also a dog city and a horse city. People come from all over the world to see the thorough bred horses race at the track, and they bring their dogs. There are water bowls outside stores and restaurants. In fact, one store has the water bowl inside their store. You’ll see many dog owners eating at restaurants that have tables outside because their dogs are allowed to sit and eat with them.
When I see puppies, certain breeds of dogs that I like, or dogs that look at me, I’ll say hi and pet them even though I’m allergic to a lot of them. Bernese Mtn. dogs are one of my favorite dogs, along with golden retrievers, Siberian Huskies, malamute, golden doodles-any color, and other poodle mixes.
Thank you so much for the instructions of a pantoum, your photos, and your inspiration! It has been a difficult poem for me to learn, also. I have never seen instructions for a pantoum with these questions. Hopefully, they will help me, too. Give Bonny a hug for me. 🙂
Gail, Thank you for so many kind words. Bonny is full grown. Female Berners are typically smaller than males, (yes 95lbs is considered small 😂).
My second cry of the day!
See what dog-love does to us?? 😉
Wonderful poem, Patricia! Bonny is a bonnie lass indeed. My family and I feel the same way about dogs. I got my son-in-law a shirt that says, “Tell your dog I said hi.” I hadn’t seen a Bernese Mountain dog up close until recently when my neighbors found one wandering around. (Happily, the owner was found within a couple of hours.) That dog made their pit bull look small. Gorgeous giant reservoirs of delight!
Oh I definitely need that on a bumper sticker 😂
Awwwwww. What a beautiful pup. She looks like she was always bound for YOU! I do love a pantoum as well. The repetition is hypnotizing.
Sweet doggie and heartfelt poem-bond, hope you share many years together, thanks!
Thank you Linda ☺️
Love your pantoum, Patricia, and the insight into your relationship with Bonny that it provides. I’ve never seen such explicit instructions for creating one. You’re inspiring me to give pantoum variation a try!
Bonny is gorgeous! May she live to be 1,017 years old. 🙂 And your pantoum definitely has me feeling your love for her. That picture of her as a puppy has me DYING. OHMYGOSH. So cute.
Bonny is gaspingly gorgeous and worthy of your poem, your love, and your devotion. (I, too, have loved using Padraig’s formula for pantoums. It’s been awhile. I might have to try another.)
Oh, how I love this post (and all dogs), and your giving yourself the challenge of a pantoum! I’m continuing my PF rounds on Sunday, and this morning we took our Rookie to Furman (where Jeff & I met, less than 10 miles from where we live now!). Rookie loves the trails and lake. Today we met some doggie friends he’s met before – two goldens his same age (just turned 2), and then we met a new lovely dog – a 1 1/2-year-old “Bernie”! She was small, only 80-something pounds, and just beautiful. So much love in your description of your sweet Bonny! – Robyn HB
Oh golly–I got inspired to try the PO’T pantoum recipe, went off distracted, and am just coming back to comment: Look at that sweet enormous face! I’m not Dog, I’m Cat, but I can appreciate people’s particular relationships with particular dogs and have even had one or two dog connections. Your poem covers a lot of ground and still manages to convey the special bond between “a girl and her dog”. <3